From Father to Son
by Jake Cage
Summary: A funeral, a letter and a seventeen year old boy who's been scarred for life by something he doesn't remember. Now his dead father has a special request, all the boy has to do is walk to a cemetery and stand in front of a fallen oak.
1. Chapter 1: Parting Gift

I hate the rain, it turns the sky dark and the ground soft. Right now I'm standing in a inch of mud watching my father being lowered into a six foot deep mud hole. My mother weeps, but I remain stoic and expressionless, my tears have long since fell for him. For the longest time he had Tuberculosis, I hardly even remember him hwne he wasn't coughing up blood, or bedridden because of the ferocious desiease. Now his suffering has ended, and I am left with a griecing mother and a sealed letter. The priest drones on about the end of life and how it should be a joyous thing. Considering my mother is crying so hard she can't breathe, I think it's a complete lie. I can feel the letter burning a hole in my chest as it sits in the pocket of my suit vest.

The priest finishes haying his meaningless words, and mother drops the one handful of dry dirt onto the pine box and I tighten my grip on the umbrella as Mother's hand rests on my shoulder. She whispers to me that it is time to go, and I nod as I turn away from the cursed hole in the ground. We climb into the carriage as lightening lights up the sky. As the carriage takes off Mother takes my hand and leans forwards in her seat. "Lukas, look at me." She says and I move my gaze from outside the window to my mother. her pale skin stands out against the black dress she is wearing. "Are you alright, son?" Mother asks and I smile before squeezing her hand. "I'm fine, don't worry about me." I say as the carriage stops in the middle of the bridge that leads to town.

Mother lets go of my hand, and opens the door before she asks. "Do you have the letter?" I nod as I reach into the pocket it is in and pull it out to show her. "Good, get out." She commands, and I give her a confused look. She takes my hand again, and looks deep into my eyes. "This is your fathers final request, so please step out of this carriage." I am shocked by this and it takes me a few moments, but I finally nod and step out. I turn around to face Mother who is leaning halfway out of the carriage. "After I am on my way, you are to open this letter and follow it's instructions." She explains and I nod. 'When you return home dinner will be ready, I expect you to look presentable." She says before smiling, and I smile back before nodding once again. She closes the door and the driver takes off, leaving just me and a sealed letter.

Unfortunately I left my letter opener in my other suit so I force open the seal with my fingers. I pull the letter out and unfold it, it reads. "My dearest Son. If you are reading this my illness had taken me, or I finally grew tired of the nobles. Anyway, there is something I want you to do. If you haven't already, look into the envelope." The rain had turned into a light drizzle, and I close my umbrella before I set it on the edge of the bridge. I take the envelope in my free hand, and tip it over the one that holds the letter. Out falls a golden ring, and I drop the envelops to pick the ring up. Engraved on the inside is the letter E and nothing more. I looks back to the letter for further instructions on the curious situation.

The rest of the letter is instructions that I follow. It is like this. "As you stand on the bridge turn away from the town, you will see a church and a forest. Do not go to the church, instead go into the woods. As you enter the woods you will come across an old cemetery, at one end there will be a fallen oak tree." I look up form where I stand in the cemetery, and see the tree me dead father is talking about. I look back down at the letter. "Walk over to the tree, and stand there for a moment. Welcome to the Underworld." I finish reading as I stop at the fallen tree, and look up to see several crows have surrounded me. Then, as if on the wind, a voice whispers. "I have waited a long time to finally meet again." The crows swarm me and everything goes black.


	2. Chapter 2 E

**Hello everyone, I'll be posting every other day for this. The reason being that it takes me a whole day in a half to get one chapter done due to an extreme medical condition called laziness. Anyway, thank's for showing up for chapter two. If your here then you must be interested. Enjoy the next chapter.**

The air is damp, and smells like the dustiest corner of a _very_ dirty attic. I open my eyes to a dimly lit room and the sound of loud chatter beyond the door that is in front of me. Pinned on the door is another letter that is shorter than the first. I stand up form the chair I am sitting in, and walk over to the note. I pull it from the pin and bring over to the small lantern in the corner. "Welcome to the Underworld! This is the place we go when we die, but don't worry you aren't dead. When you hear a piano being played I want you to go up to the woman playing, and say. "Hello, my name is Lukas and I have come to fulfill my father's promise." We'll meet soon. Your loving dad, Victor." As I finish reading the note I hear the first few keys of Beethoven's Seventh Symphony sing in my ear. I smirk as I turn back to the door. "Impeccable timing." I mutter as I walk over to the door and open it, the whole time wondering why I'm here. Where is here exactly?

The room is empty except for a person at the piano, the chatter I hear must have been from a different place. I look around and realize it is very decrepit, shaby would be a compliment to this place. I look back to the person at the piano and take a few steps forwards before a floorboard creaks. The woman in the white dress stops playing and her hands fall to her side. Several seconds pass before I decide to take a few steps closer. When she hears me approach her back tenses and I straighten mine. I clear my throat and say. "My name is Lukas and I have come to fulfill my father's promise." Timidly the woman stands up and turns to me. As I finally seew hat she looks like, she says. "I have waited for so long to hear those words." In a flash she is right in front of me with my hands in hers. "Thank you Lukas, thank you.' The womans says as a tear rolls down her cheek, and she puts her head on my chest.

"Excuse me, but who are you?" I ask as she snakes an arm around me on the inside of my suit jacket. "Such a silly man, I'm Emily remember?" She says, and the air hitches in my throat. In my mind there is a memory, it is fuzzy but I can hear the name Emily clearly out of it all. Suddenly it clicks, this place, this woman is all part of a story Father would tell me every chance he got. The story of the dead woman he almost killed himself to be with. Emily, the Corpse Bride. Unintentionally I push her away and fall against the bar. "What's wrong with you? You nearly took my arm off." Emily says as she walks up to me, and places her hand on my cheek. "I, I'm fine it's just that you nearly married my father. Now I have a ring I'm probably supposed to give to you, and..." She stopped listening after ring, and now she looks as if she is about to pounce one me.

Before she can launch her assault, a blue hand rests on her shoulder. "Emily, let's not scare my boy before he's gotten to know you better." A man says, and I look up to a familiar face. He is different only in that his skin is blue. "Father!" I yell as I embrace him, and he hugs me back. "Oh it is good to see you again Son." He grabs my shoulders, and pulls back to look at me. "I'm afraid I can't stay long, I have pressing duties elsewhere. you and Emily find a quiet place to talk." He leans down, and whispers in my ear. "She is an amazing woman, you are lucky to have her." He straightens his back, and tips his hat before fading away. A hand takes mine, and I look over to see Emily standing beside me. "Don't worry, he'll be back. Come on, I know a perfect place where we can talk."


	3. Chapter 3: From Emily With Love

**To clear things up, underlined text is inner dialogue. I don't want to put it into quotations because of the way I'm writing this. Sorry if it confused anyone, I'll give you a heads up when something else is added beforehand. This chapter was written in a car when I was half asleep so sorry if it's a little bland and repetitive. I realize that I have been posting earlier than I said I would, sorry. I fixed that this time. Thanks for staying with me this far, hopefully you'll stay a little longer.**

I loosen my tie as we stand on a cliff overlooking the Land of The Dead, it is slightly harder to breathe here. "It's beautiful, isn't it?" Emily says and I nod as I lean on the railing, being up this high makes me slightly dizzy. "This is the first place you father and I sat down to talk as well, he was such a shy fellow back then." Emily seems to drift off into a memory and I sigh before looking up at the thick darkness that is the sky of this place. Several seconds pass before I feel Emily tap me on the shoulder. I looks back over at her and see she has curiosity in her eyes. "What is it?" I ask and she asks another question back. "Why didn't you see me when I tried to get your attention?" I sigh for the second time as I pull a handkerchief out of my pocket. "It's easier to show you than to explain, so here." I say before I wipe the right side of my face.

What she sees is a red cluster of scars on the cheek around my right eye. "Father said I was hit by a ball, but a ball doesn't make your face unshowable in public." I say as I pull out my glass eye and hold it up between my index finger and thumb. Emily gasps, but smiles much to my surprise. "I can do that trick too." She says as her right eyes falls out into her hand, and I looks up at me. I jump a little and Emily giggles before putting it back in. They light up once the right is back in it's rightful place and she says. "I know just the thing, follow me." She takes my hand, and we race down the stairs. We run through the streets for a few minutes before we stop in front of what seem to be a store. I take a moment to catch my breath before I look up at the sign. "THE ALL SEEING EYE." I look over at Emily who is fit to burst with excitement.

She pulls me into the shop as I start to question what this place sells, but the question is answered when I step foot into the store. On the shelves are rows of eyes of all colors staring at us. A chill runs down then back up my spine as we step further into the store. "Find one you like, and we'll see if they have it in your size." Emily says as she moves further into the building. This isn't exactly a hat store, Father didn't say anything about a place like this. I move into the aisles and the eyes follow me. Meanwhile Emily moves around quickly, picking up one jar then anther, looking for one I might like. As I meander around the shop, a small noise catches my attention. I look down the aisle to see a door with boards that are not the same size and as I fully turn to it, I hear a faint voice. "Come closer." It says, and on impulse I move towards the door.

The closer I move to the door, the louder the voice gets until it sound like someone is speaking directly into my ear. I stop in front of the door, and the voice says. "Come inside." Against my will, my right hand move towards the handle on the door. It turns with a creak and I slowly pull it open, but before it can open an inch, a bone hand slams it shut. I look to my left to see Emily with a smile on her face. "Let's not go in that room, okay?" She says before she looks at the shelves and her smile turns into surprise. "Oh I found one! And look, it's in your color!" She says excitedly before picking up the jar nad showing it to me. The jar is full of green eyes that stare up at me as I take the jar from Emily. "They certainly are my color, but will this actually work?' She looks up at me with a questioning look. "It is just that I am still alive, and if the eye is dead it seems like it will not work." She thinks about it for a moment before she waves her hand and says. "I'm sure it will be fine."

As Emily walks away the voice returns, but I just close my eyes and shake my head before following Emily. The skeleton at the register is snoring softly as he sleeps while leaning on the counter. Emily clears her throat, no response, she does it again and yet she gets on response. By now she is agitated and hit his arm bone. He falls on his skull and wakes up immediately and looks around in a panic before his eyes land on us. He grumbles something as he rubs his jaw before he asks. "What can I do for you?" Emily places the jar of eyes on the counter and says. "I would like to by an eye," she looks at me, "for my friend." I smile down at her as I begin to play with the buttons on my suit jacket. The skeleton takes an eyes out and wraps it in a small cloth before looking back up at Emily. "That'll be two Pieces of Eight." He says and Emily nods as she reaches into her pocket and pulls two coins seemingly out of nowhere. She hands the coins to him and he hands her the eye before she walks to the door. Looking back at me, she motions to follow and I quickly move her way.

As we exit the store, Emily begins to hum a tune I've never heard before. "Where are we going now?" I ask her as we make out way down the street. "To an old friend, he'll help us get your new eye to work." I take the information in, and nod as we walk down the street. As we walk closer to an old tower, I move my thoughts about the Pieces of Eight towards the large structure. "I assume your friend resides in this tower?" I ask as we near the entrance. Emily just nods before beginning to ascend the rotten stairs. I sigh, she hasn't led me astray so far I will trust her a little more. I move up the stairs quickly to catch up to Emily, and soon we are walking one behind the other like we have been all day, or night. I haven't the slightest idea what time it is. As time passes, we go further and further up until we reach a certain point and the walls on the outside disappear. I look down and fear runs through me as I plaster my body to the inner wall. A hand grabs mine, and I look up the stairs to see Emily smiling down at me. "Don't worry, I'll soften the blow if you fall." She says as she squeezes my hand and I nod before peeling myself for the wall.

I take a few shaky steps forwards, and Emily continues on. There are very few steps until we reach the top and I take a deep breath before I exhale. I continue on, and when we reach the top there is an old looking skeleton waiting for us. "Elder Gutknecht, it is nice to see you. Were you expecting us?" Emily says as I step onto the top platform. 'No, but I heard you friend here scream so I came to investigate. What do you need?" The old skeleton says, and Emily smiles. "I have just purchased a new eyes for my friend Lukas, we need your help making it work." She says, and Elder Gutknecht looks over at me before saying. "That's simple, just put it in and let it get used to it's new owner." I raise an eyebrow, but the man doesn't look untrustworthy. Without a second of hesitation I pull my glass eye out, and take the eye from Emily and put it in. When I open my eye again, I can see. Finally I can see to my right again.


	4. Chapter 4: Returning Home With a Friend

**hello everyone, sorry for the long wait. School just started back up so I've been busy with that. Anyway hope you enjoy chapter Four, thank you for showing up this far. enjoy!**

 ** _A dimple on the chin, the devil within._**

 ** _Gaelic Proverb_**

I sit next to Emily atop the tower where I have just acquired a new working eye. It is a bit dodgy though, from tiem totime it will roll around in its socket or look left when I wanna look right, but slowly I'm gaining control. Emily says something as I straing to make it look in the same direction as the other, and I look over to her. "I'm sorry but I didn't hear what you said." I say apologizing as a cup of tea is placed in front of me by Elder Gutknecht. Emily giggles before telling me. "I was just saying that you father should arrive soon." As she finishes that sentence a hand is placed on my shoulder, and I look up to see Father standing over me. I smile as I stand up and hug him once more before we both sit down. "So, are you ready to go back to the Land of the Living?" He asks as he sips his tea, and I'm shocked by this. "So soon? I was just getting to know Emily." I say and he looks to her hten to me before smiling and setting down his tea. "Who said you were leaving her behind." He says as he looks over at the skelington and winks.

It takes a moment, but I finally realize what he means and smile. The smile doesn't last long before I become concerned. Can she really go back to The Land of the Living with me? As if he heard me ask him the question, Father says. "Do not worry my boy, she can come and go as she pleases. But she cannot stay forever, she must return in seven days or turn to dust." I look down at the table as he says this, and after a moment of silence I feel him grab my shoulder. My shoulder is where he would always grab to get my attention, this time is no exception. "The same goes for you if you stay down here for too long you will die." He tells me as I feel a hand grab mine under the table. I nod as I see Emily staring at me from out of the corner of my eye. I give her a quick smile before turning back to Father who is sipping his tea again. "Now, shall we proceed with getting you out of here?" The old Skeleton asks, his name is too out of the ordinary to remember well.

Emily lets go of my hand before standing along with Father and the old skeleton. I stand as well and follow them as they walk towards the large pile of books with a podium atop them. The old skeleton walks up a set of bookstairs leading to the podium and Emily and I stand beneath it. "This should be easier now that I know what I'm doing, but it's been a couple of decades so this could go either way." he says as a crow lands next to him, and I gulp at this. If something goes wrong I'll know it's not my fault. the crow rises from it's perch on the podium, leaving an egg that the old skeleton picks up and breaks open. From inside comes a golden smoke that drifts down to us, and as it shrouds Emily and me I feel her hug me. Everything goes black and I find my eyes are closed. I open them to find I am standing where I stood before, the only difference being that Emily's arms are wrapped around me. I feel something in my hand so I pull it up to where I can see it and find a note written by Father to a woman named Victoria.

I have never heard of a woman named Victoria, is she an old friend of Father's. I certainly hope so, he has always been true to Mother, at least from what I can remember. "Lukas, Victor said your mother should be waiting for us now." Emily says as she breaks the embrace and grabs my hand before taking off towards the road. A flash occurs in my mind and I remember running like this. No, I wasn't running, I was being carried by someone. By, Emily. I'm pulled out of my mind as I nearly crash into Emily who has stopped in her tracks. I look past her to see Mother staring at us, more out of agitation than relief. I let go of Emily's hand, and run to Mother. I hug her and she does the same. When we pull apart she puts her hands on the side of my head as she looks up at me. I've always thought she was a short woman, but apparently I am a rather tall seventeen year old. "Get into the carriage, I must talk to Emily." She says and I nod before climbing into the black cage.

I sit down, lean back, and close my eyes. What does Mother need to talk to Emily about? Who is Victoria? These questions run through my mind as I slowly drift off to sleep. I do not know how long I was sleeping, but I am woken by the shaking of the cart. I open my eyes to find that it is Emily and Mother entering the carriage that stirred me from sleep. I smile at Emily sits next to me and Mother across from us. "Did your talk go well?" I ask them as I look between both women. Emily simply nods as she looks down at the floor of the carriage, but Mother remains silent as she looks out of the door window. I sighs as I place my head back on the wall. It doesn't matter now, I wish to go home. 


	5. Chapter 5: Home for a While

**Before we start, I want to apologize for not posting when I said I would. My sleep schedule is messing me up, again I'm sorry. Anyway, I'm starting a fanfic on A Series of Unfortunate Events. If you want you can check it out, it's named Uncle Dillon. It should go up tomorrow, i kinda maybe sorta gave up on the Guardians of the Galaxy fanfic, it kinda really sucked. Thank you for showing up for chapter five, it means the world to me. Enjoy the trip.**

That's why I'm happy all the time, because I know what it feels like to be sad.

Danny Sexbang of Game Grumps

We arrive at our home on the outskirts of town. Once upon a time there was a house like ours, only it was in the town square. That was Father's childhood home before it burned down. I think it is a saloon now. The front door opens and I look over from where I am sitting on the porch. Emily walks over and sits silently next tom me on the porch swing. "Smoking'll kill you, ya know." SHe says as she waves her ha d in front of her face. On my seventeenth birthday Father game me his pipe. He told me he didn't have any use for it as his illness was getting worse. "Don't worry, I only use this thing when I want to think by myself. But you're welcome to stay if you want to." I say as I place the pipe on the arm rest. "How often do you think?" Emily asks with a smile and I smile back before answering. "A couple time a week. Although the tobacco Father has is running out low." Emily grabs my hand as we begin to swing slowly.

"This place looks a lot different since I was last here." Emily says as she looks off towards the town and I frown as i strike a match on the wood of the swing. "Behold the work of my Father." I say before I put the pipe back in my mouth and light it. "What did he do to make this place so large?" Emily asks as I blow out a large puff of smoke. "The small fishing company became big, and the town along with it." I say as the swinging slowly stop and Emily squeezes my hand to gain my attention. I look over at her and she said. "I almost forgot to tell you, Victoria sent me to fetch you for dinner." I jump when she says the name Victoria, and she looks at me curiously. "You know the name Victoria?" I ask as the pipe nearly falls from my hand. Emily laughs almost spastically for a moment before regaining control of herself and telling me. "Lukas you're more silly than your father was, Victoria is your mother."

I'm speechless, all this time worrying who Victoria is and it turns out to be my mother. I should really know more about my parents. Emily pulls on my hand before staring, and she looks down at me. "Come on, your food'll get cold." She says as I stand alongside her and we walk into the house. A few minutes later we are all sitting at the dining room table, waiting for our food. The business grew large enough that we are able to have one maid, luckily she can cook, a talent Mother doesn't have. I look from Mother then to Emily and find they are both tense. I wonder what is so troubling between them, they are only like this in each other's presence. A plate of fish is placed in front of me, and I thank Caroline as she walks past me and to Emily. She gives Emily a short stare before placing a plate in front of her. Caroline finishes serving dinner and leaves as we begin eating. THe mea is quiet, and I keep my head down, the tension in the air could be cut with a knife. I hope they don't hold ill will against each other.

We finish dinner, and I'm sent to my room for bed. I tell mother and Emily goodnight before going up to my room on the second floor where i get dressed for bed. Afterwards, I bring a candle over to my dresser mirror and look at myself. Today has been ery eventful, and has left me with more questions. I walk over and lie down in my bed where I close my eyes and drift off to sleep in a matter of moments. I do not know what time it is, but I'm woken by the opening of my bedroom door. A small light enters my room, and I open one eyes slightly only to find I can't see their face. Who could be coming into my room in the middle of the night? Whoever they are, they walk over to me lightly and I barely feel them sit on the edge of my bed. "Oh Lukas, you look so mature now. The last time I saw you, you could barely walk." She chokes up at the last word, her voice cracking slightly.

I nearly jump when she touches the scars around my eye, but I just barely contain myself. "This scar, your eyes it was my fault, I'm sorry Lukas. I hope when you finally remember what happened you'll be able to forgive me." Emily stands up and a few moments later I feel her kiss my forehead. Her steps fade aways and after my bedroom door closes I sit up in the bed. A thousand thoughts rung through my mind, but only one question stick out. What have I forgotten that was so terrible? I touch the scar, the numbing sensation of my fingers against them moves through my cheek. Now I'm gonna need more than a few answers. I lie back down, but sleep evades me for an hour before I finally return to slumber. In the morning, the smell of bacon wakes me and I get out of bed before dressing. I hurry down to breakfast where I find Mother and Emily are already seated and eating.

"Morning all." I say before yawning as I sit down at the table. "Morning." They both say together and Emily glances at me quickly. She knows what she has done, I'll confront her when we get a chance to be alone "Lukas, I want you to go into town today. You need to pay the undertaker and buy a few essentials." Mother says before she pulls out a piece of paper and sets it down in front of me. I pick it up, glance it over and put it in my vest pocket. "I will leave as soon as I finish eating." I says as I button the middle button on my suit jacket. Mother nods and the rest of the meal is finished in silence. WHen I finish, I stand up and kiss Mother one the cheek before saying goodbye. "Lukas! You're forgetting something!" Mother yells as she stands up and I turn around to see her walking over to a small table in the corner. I sigh and shake my head as she picks up an object, and brings it over to me.

"Don't argue just put it on." Mother say as she shove the gun into my chest and I grab it with both hands. "Mother, this isn't the Wild West, that is across the ocean." i say as I place it on the table in the hall and shed my suit jacket before handing it to Mother. I pick the gun back up. "No it isn't, but the graveyard is getting bigger everyday and it isn't natural death either." She says as I put the holster on. THis holster is not the kind you would see on the cowboys in pictures. It goes over the shoulders with the gun hanging at the side under the coat. I've never had any use for it and have only shot the damned thing in target practice. I tighten the strap and latch it before putting my jacket back on. "Be careful son, and be home before lunch." Mother says before she kisses my cheek and turns me around. I walk down the hall and out he front door. I close my eyes and take in a breath with a smile before I begin to make my way to the stable behind the house.


	6. Chapter 6: A Brief Look Into The Past

**So here we go again, not much to say this go around other than I finally hit my schedule constantly for the first time in an eon and that the Point Of View will change to Emily in this one chapter. Thank you for showing up to Chapter Six of From Father to Son, I'm glad you're here. Enjoy!**

Father always believed in hard work, that's why we only have one servant in the house. Even with the most successful business in town we still have a regular sized house. Father was never one for having big things, he wasn't one for a lot of things. That reminds me, I need to give his letter to Mother before I lose it. I grab the saddle, and place it on the Stallion. We have three horses, two are quarter horses. They are used to pull the carriage. The other is a buckskin Stallion that my Father bought a few years ago. A little while later as I am putting the tackle over Fritz's head I hear. "Are you sure you will be alright in such a dangerous town?" I smile as I turn around to see Emily leaning on the frame of the side door to the stable. "I'll manage." The memory of last night hits me and I decide to ask her about it. I turn around and continue working as I ask. "So, what is it that I don't remember?" There is a long silence before I hear her approach me.

She grabs my arm and I turn to her. "You mustn't tell anyone of what happened last night." She says as she looks into my eyes. I grab her other arm and say. "Then tell me what was your fault, what do I not remember that hurt me so bad?" She tries to answer, but stops and looks away. "I cannot answer that truthfully, it is a question that you must ask your father. Even so, he doesn't know what happened to you fully, only the person who did it to you." She holds up her free hand, and says. "Victoria sent me to give this to you before you left." I look down to see she is holding money, and I take it from her. "Thank you." I say as I put it in my vest pocket along with Mother's list. As I look back to Emily I see that she is shaking, and I hug her on instinct. "Don't worry about me, I'm sure that whatever happened in the past I'll be fine with it." I pull away from her and smile as she slowly stops shaking. "When I return I'll get to work on remembering." I get of Fritz, and look back down at Emily. "Be back in a jiffy." I spur the horse and take off towards town.

 **Pov Change: Emily**

As Lukas rides off towards the town I sigh and walks back to the house. Why can't I bring myself to tell him what I did? I'd be lying if I said I wasn't afraid of what he might do, but he will learn eventually. I walk up the porch steps, and sit down on the swing. Oh Lukas, if I hadn't left you alone then you would be able to remember the first seven years of your life. I sigh again as i lean my head on the seat back of the swing and close my eyes. A crow caws in the distance as I recall the night that changed three lives and one afterlife. A fire, a manic laugh echoing throughout the square and me running away from it carrying a very sick Lukas. If I had known what was following us that night I wouldn't have left him alone. But it's too late now, and I'll never be forgiven by Victoria. I open my eyes as i hear the door open and look over to see Victoria staring back at me.

Without a word she walks over and sits down next to me. "Did he ask you why you went into his room last ngiht?" She asks and I jump slightly. She smirks as she picks up the pipe Lukas had forgotten yesterday afternoon. "Did you tell him what happened?" She asks as she turns the pipe over and taps it on the arm rest. As the burned tobacco fall out of it I answer her. "No, but I did say a few thing that leads him to believe I do." She doesn't turn to me, and after a few moments I realize she's crying. "All these years I've kept him from remembering, we all did. But now that is over, with the morning comes the end of the dream." She wipes her tears with a handkerchief before she turns to me. "I'll never forgive you for what you did, but I am asking you. Be there for him when he finally learns the truth, he'll need all the support he can get."

I don't respond for a moment, and let the words drift through my mind. "I promise you, whatever happens I will be there." I say as she wipes her tears away again. To my surprize, she smiles at me before standing up and holding out her hand. "Now, let's talk. It's been a long time since we have caught up." I hesitate and the smile leaves her face as she becomes serious. "We cannot change the past, so we live with our mistakes. It would be a mistake if I pushe you away entirely." She pauses as if she's run out of things to say, so before she embarrasses herself I take her hand. "I would love to catch up with you, ten years is a long time for friends to be apart." I say as i stand up and her smile returns.


	7. Chapter 7: In Town

The noises of town fill my ears as I enter the south end of town and make my way to the General Store. As I dismount Fritz, a drunk man stumbles across the walkway in front of me. He gives me what is supposed to be a glare, but it looks more like a confused stare. I just smile as I tie the reins to the post and make my way into the store. The bell above the door rings as I open it and I hear a voice say. "Morning Lukas." I smile at the old man behind the counter. "And a good morning to you too Jaques." I say back with a smile as I walk up to the counter. I pull the list out and place it on the counter as Jacques slides a small package towards me. I pick it up and open a corner to find a dry leaf underneath it. "Don't think no one hasn't noticed those puffs of smoke coming from your house late in the afternoon." jacques says and I look up to see him smiling under his mustache.

I can see in his eyes that his attention has turned to my scar, and I smile before joking. "I figured I'd show it off for a while, it makes me look more manly." he chuckles as he picks up Mother's list. "I hope you don't think the tobacco isn't the only gift." Jacques says as he taps his finger and I smile again as I pull the money out of my vest and place it on the counter. Jacques nods as he takes both things and walks to the back of the store. I sigh as i lean on the counter and look out the store windows. I see the same drunk man staring back at me, at my scar to be exact.I hope he won't be any trouble. I look away and around the store as Jacques gathers my order. A few minutes pass before he comes back and places my already wrapped order on the counter. I thank him and leave the store. As I open the flap on my saddlebag the drunk man says. "Did yer mudder drop ye when ye was a baby?" I clench my jaw as he cackles and put the package in my saddlebag before turning around.

The man steps down onto the street towards me as rain drops begin to fall on my shoulders. He tries to say something, but I hit him hard in the face. He stumbles back and falls onto one knee as he grabs his bleeding nose. "You son of a bitch, ye broke me n-" I cut him off by kicking in the head with the heel of my boot. He falls down unconscious and I smirk before looking around at everyone who is staring at me. I've never done anything like that, when did I become so violent? I clear my throat as I look back down at the drunk lying in a puddle and say. "I apologize for the way I reacted, but he spoke ill word about me and my remaining family." I look back up at them and most seem to be okay with what happened.I nod as I turn around and walk to the bakery. After buying a loaf of bread I return to Fritz and find that someone had the decency to put the drunk on the walkway. I sigh as I mound my horse and turn towards home.

Thirty minutes later I'm unsaddling Fritz, and handing what I bought to Mother. As I put the saddle on its stand, Mother asks. "What of the Undertaker, did you pay him?" I look down at the straw covered ground and shake my head. "Don't worry about it, he'll show up tomorrow." She puts her hand on my shoulder. "Get some rest, you need it. Being woken up in the middle of the night isn't good for your health." I look up at her slightly surprised, but she just smiles as she turns to walk away. 'Come on, lunch is almost ready." She says and I sigh as I follow Mother to the house. As we walk past the porch swing, I remember I forgot the pipe and I look over at it. It is sitting right where I left it, and I pick it up. Guess I better take better care of this thing, it was my Father's after all. We walk into the house and enter the dining room through a door on the right side of the hall. Waiting for us is Emily who seems even more happy than usual. So happy in fact that I can't help but smile at her. I don't understand why, but I just can't help but smile.


End file.
